


One Week

by RookieWriter18



Category: Wanted (Australia TV 2016)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-14
Updated: 2018-07-16
Packaged: 2019-06-10 06:20:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15285558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RookieWriter18/pseuds/RookieWriter18
Summary: A lot can happen in one week. There is 604800 seconds in a week, a lot of moments to flash by. A week can change a lot. A week can change a person. Hell maybe even change a person’s own heart and soul. A week is all you have. You just don’t know it yet.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this story starts 24 hours after Chelsea and Lola leaving Ray at the old house. I hope you guys enjoy and please review.

Day One.

The news is everywhere, Ray Stanton is a dirty cop filmed while attempting to drown Chelsea Babbage, while also holding both of them at gun point. They made statements to the television media and within hours their names were almost clear. The police and the commissioner demanded that they come into a police station to be formally questioned and returned to Sydney. Chelsea’s father recommended that they ties all lose end and surrender to the police.

With in four hours of his arrest Ray Stanton rolled on everyone in his operation in attempt to get lesser time in jail. He turned on everyone but not his wife. Not his father in law. He knew that if he said anything his life would be over in a heartbeat. So he kept quiet and turned over every drug dealer, every murderer and everyone who had set him on this course.

Chelsea and Lola both chose to evade the police fearing that they were to be targeted for this major operation crumbling to its knees. With the money to hide and the drugs not to worry about, they managed to get a car and head south to blend in with the crowds until most of this blew over. They arrived in Ingham, Queensland after leaving the reporters house in Cairns. In the Nissan Patrol they had brought and filled with camping supplies they made their way back down the coast instead of inland this time. 

Ingham was a small country town that had just pulled together from recent floods and they managed to find a nearby beach that allowed you to camp in your car. It wasn’t the best of conditions but hey you get what you are given. Chelsea loved how open it was but could not trust herself to drive the four wheel drive on the sand, having never taken a car properly off dirt or the roadways. Lola laughed and took over driving and they had found a quiet spot and parked the car in amongst the shady palm trees facing out to the beautiful blue sea. 

The beach they had chosen to stay at was out of the way of many travelers and dead quiet. The tourist season had passed and just a few grey nomads had passed along and then left the beach deeming the spot not worthy to stop over night. Lola knew this would be a good place to lay low for a while. Until most of it blew over hopefully.

Chelsea decided instead of staying by the car just lounging around to go for a walk along the beach. She felt free but not completely free. She felt like she was on a leach that wouldn’t let her run free, but it was better than being dead at this point. Ray trying to drown her had shaken her more than she liked to admit. She tried to use the  solar showers they had brought at the camp store but she couldn't place her face under the spray of the water. She could feel her chest tighten when ever the spray of the water got to close to her face.

She was glad to hear that the police had found Ray where they had left him and he was arrested. She would be terrified if he was still out there. They had listened to the radio on the way to Ingham, listening to all the breaking news on the case. Ray Stanton had been flown back to Sydney to face formal charges. She was pleased to hear that Detective Levine had been released of all charges and had apparently been released from hospital. She wonders about the detective. Josh. She prayed that he was okay, the memory of him being shot was still running through her mind. Watching him fall to the ground and not getting up. Even though seeing him in hospital alive had eased her worry and stress. She probably shouldn't have dragged him out of that hospital. Who knows what kind of damage she could have done. She just didn't want Ray Stanton anywhere near him. 

On her walk in the afternoon sun she wondered about everything. How was her father? What would he think of all the things she had to do to survive this ordeal? Would he be proud? Or would he look at her with shame? God what about her mother...if only she was alive. If only she could guide me through this. What would she think about all that I've done. 

  
She looked over her shoulder to where Lola was currently laying on the hood of the car absorbing the rays on sunshine from the day. Lola looked like a new person the past  twenty four hours, like a free person. She was happy. It was hard for her talking to the reporter about going on the run from the people who are suppose to protect you. Lola did most of the talking on the interview with the reporter. Chelsea was mostly in a daze. How close they had come to dying so many times. On the run had taught Chelsea a lot. It also took a lot from her.  

Chelsea looked ahead of her at the almost endless beach ahead of her. She didn't know how far it stretched but she needed to walk, she just wanted some times alone she had told Lola. They had been together so much the past few weeks and Chelsea missed the silence of her life. So Chelsea continued down the beach until their car was a little spec in the distance and the sun had began it's final decent for today. She knew she still had at least two hours of proper light left. So she decided to sit down in the sand and gently began running her fingers into the ground feeling the granules of sand move around her fingers and into her palms. She gazed out into the open ocean and her mind emptied of all thoughts and she felt a sense of calm wash over her. The sky was changing from a beautiful blue to a wonderful burst of orange and pink as the sun fell back over the land behind her. She never really got to see sunsets in Sydney, always had her head down and too afraid to look at the people passing by her on her walk to and from the bus stop. God how she hated how much of her life has passed by with her head down. 

  
She felt movement in the sand beside her and without looking away from the ocean she said sadly, ‘Lola I really just wanted to be alone right now.’

‘It’s me Chelsea.’

 


	2. Day one: Part 2

Day One: Part 2 

Chelsea entire body tensed and she slowly tore her eyes away from the sunset in front of her and turned to face him. His voice sent shivers down her spine. She looked up and met his gaze and then her eyes flashed to further down the beach where Lola would be. It was over. They were done for now. The laying low was done. God she should have stayed with Lola she’s probably worried, they wanted to be together when they went to the police. Chelsea’s father had promised to give Lola the best lawyers they had. 

God what has she done she thought, going off on her own thinking they wouldn’t be found and brought in. Chelsea start to panic and said ‘Josh, wait please just let me be with Lola when you take us in. I don’t want her to be alone. Please don’t. She’s been through so much.’ 

‘Whoa, Whoa Chelsea calm down. I’m here on my own accord. I’m not here to arrest you. I just wanted to talk to you,’ Josh said taking a seat in the sand beside her. 

Josh placed a soft hand on her shoulder to calm her down and get her to stay seated in the sand beside him. ‘I swear Chelsea,’ he said softly after noticing the slight shake in her shoulders. 

‘How’d you know where we were?’ Chelsea said worried about other officers being on their way. 

‘I followed you since you left the reporters house. I wanted to make sure you were okay and that no one else has been after you. A few of Ray’s dirty cops have gone to ground and I wanted to make sure you were okay.’ 

‘But…but why?’ Chelsea stuttered. 

‘I know you Chelsea. I know you had no part in this and I know you are innocent. I just want you to be safe. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you.’

Chelsea looked back out into the ocean and replied, ‘I’ve made it this far detective I’m sure I can handle myself. I…I’m better…I’m okay. I’m fine,’ Chelsea said her voice shaky with fear. ‘What about you detective? Huh? You were shot three days ago. Shouldn’t you still be in a hospital?’ 

‘I’m fine,’ he chuckled trying to lighten the mood. ‘The doctors gave me the all okay and gave me this sling. Well I actually I sort of left against their wishes but I’m okay.’   
Chelsea looked back at Josh and really looked at him, the colour had returned to his face and god he looked even more handsome close up. Chelsea shook her head to rid of the thoughts running through her mind. God she shouldn’t be thinking like that. Not for him. He wouldn’t return it. He’s a cop she thought. 

‘Chelsea,’ he whispered, ‘Chelsea please look at me. It’ll be okay eventually.’

Chelsea turned back to him and her eyes locked on to his expressive green eyes and she broke. At first it was a tear, a single tear ran down her cheek and she felt the flood gates open, she tried to cover her mouth to drown the sobs but she couldn’t hold it in anymore. The past weeks all bottled inside of her flowed out freely and Josh reached out and pulled her hands away from her face and pulled her into him and let her cry. Chelsea pushed herself further into his arms, wishing to erase all the terrible memories. Josh wished he could take those memories from her. 

He had seen the footage of Ray drowning Chelsea for information on the Six o’clock news last night, even with the warning before they had played the footage had sent a chill down his spine. The fear she must had been in while in that situation. He had left the hospital soon after, to track Chelsea down and make sure she was really okay. Seeing her on the news as Lola spoke about their ordeal had shocked him. Her eyes were vacant of everything. She looked empty. 

Josh didn’t know how to approach her when he saw her on the beach after searching the coast on the way down looking for the two women traveling alone. It was by luck that the grey nomad he had stopped to ask for help had seen two women parked up on the beach alone. He had approached from the exit of the beach as not to scare them if they had seen him first. But finding Chelsea alone was not a part of his plan to protect them. It had shocked him to find her sitting on the beach and not even reacting when he parked his rental 4 wheel drive a short distance away from her. He was barely able to make out their car far out in the distance. It must have taken her a while to walk this far down the beach. 

Her sobs were soul crushing as he tried to sooth her. He pulled her half sitting into his lap and gently rubbed her back tried to sooth the sobs out of her. Her tears fell and soaked into in his shoulder but he didn’t care a bit. His other shoulder ached from his gun shot would but he didn’t care about that right now, he could take pain medication later. Chelsea needed this; she needed to release all that she has bottled up from this. Her arms wrapped around his torso and she held on for what felt like dear life. 

Josh looked out to the ocean in front of him and listened to the waves crashing onto the shore. He wanted to tell Chelsea that it will all be okay but he didn’t know that. Any of Rays dirty cops could be on their way here looking to take out the people who took out their boss. 

Eventually Chelsea cries soften and then stopped all together. She stayed still against Josh just for a moment longer she thought. She pulled away and sat back down in the sand next to him. She refused to look up at him knowing she’d see disgust in his eyes. Josh reached forward and gently lifted her chin to face him. 

‘You’re okay now Chelsea, I won’t hurt you. I swear. I just…I want to protect you,’ Josh told her softly. 

‘I’m so sorry about losing it there. I don’t know why I just started crying…well I do but still,’ Chelsea explained. 

‘I understand, you’ve been through so much the past couple of weeks. I get that you kept in bottled in, you had no time to break down.’

Chelsea looked back out to the ocean. The sky had started to darken and it was a fair walk back to her camp ground. ‘What now?’ she questions Josh. 

‘Well I understand why you are laying low at the moment, I guess you’ve heard a few of Ray’s officers went to ground. I can protect you and Lola if you want that is?’

Chelsea looked back over to where their car was off in the distance and said, ‘If Lola got wind that you were here she’d probably run again. I can’t keep running Josh.’

‘Okay then, how about I protect you from a distance. We’re the only ones on the beach, I’m guess you’re camping here?’

‘Yeah, we brought some Swags from a camping store. I was meant to help set them up but I wanted to get away for a bit.’ 

‘I’ll camp in my car,’ Josh said looking back to his vehicle. ‘I’ll always be nearby okay. If you move maybe try and get word to me before you leave, yeah?’

‘We are planning of staying here for the week, Lola said that the beach is rarely used this time of year.’ 

‘Okay I’ll park up and set camp here and keep an eye out for you.’ 

‘Thank you Josh,’ Chelsea said. 

Chelsea stood up and brushed the sand off her behind, she turned to Josh and held out a hand to help him up out of the sand. Josh gladly took the helping hand with his uninjured arm and said, ‘Just remember my car is a black land cruiser. If you need me, day or night it doesn’t matter. I’ll be here. If you need help going to the police I can also help with that as I’ve been speaking with the commissioner about my situation and I’m sure he can help with yours as well.’ 

Chelsea nodded pleased that someone was finally on their side. ‘Goodnight Josh,’ she whispered and turned around and began the walk in the twilight of the night back to Lola and their campsite. 

Josh watched as Chelsea walk away until he could no long her see her as darkness fell over the beach. He walked back to his car and pulled as close as he could to their campsite without alerting Lola to his precents. He used the bulbar to drive the car further into the trees along the beach until he was happy that the car couldn’t be spotted without really looking for it. He crawled into the back seat of the car and set up for bed for the night with only a sleeping bag and a pillow. 

 

By the time Chelsea reached their campsite, night had fallen well and truly. Lola was sitting on the beach with a fire going and looked to be roasting sausages over the fire. Lola glanced up as Chelsea took a seat beside her. ‘Are you okay Chelsea?’ she asked. 

‘As well as I can be I guess,’ Chelsea replied nervously, ‘going for a walk was good. Yeah it was good,’ she nodded. 

‘Well since you took so long I set up camp for both of us, I may have placed yours a bit far from mine so I can get a good night’s rest from your never ending snoring,’ Lola laughed. 

‘I do not snore,’ Chelsea fired back with a chuckle. 

'You do, you so do,' replied Lola falling back into the sand laughing as she tried to intimate Chelsea's snores. 

For one of their first night instead on being on the run they were hiding it was one of the best nights, they have had together. Lola had a few drinks and relaxed a bit and Chelsea even decided to hell with it and had a beer or two but deemed it to bitter and to crisp for her taste. It was a good night. That night they were happy and free. Well as free as they could be.


	3. Day Two: Part 1

Day Two. Part 1

After the beers last night, they managed to stumble to bed and fall asleep to the sound of waves hitting the shore. Lola woke first to the light filling her swag as the morning sun rose over the ocean. She opened the front of her swag and the sun had just begun to rise over the horizon almost blinding her. Even with the sounds of the waves she could still her Chelsea snoring she laughed to herself and wished the phone she had could record video so she could show her proof. 

Lola unzipped her swag, slipped on her hiking boots and walked a distance away to relieve herself. Coming back her phone beeped with an incoming message, with David’s name flashing as the contact.

Mum, I heard you have gone south a ways, I’m in Townsville. Do you want to catch up? I watched the news. 

Lola pulled out her map and saw that Townsville was only One Hundred kilometres away from where they were. It would be a quick trip there and back. She was sure Chelsea could survive without her for half to a full day. 

She walked over to Chelsea’s swag and began shaking it to wake her up. Chelsea’s scream filled their campsite and Lola quickly unzipped it and opened the canvas top. 

‘It’s me Chelsea,’ she laughed.

‘Oh my god Lola, I thought you were some wild dog or crocodile that had come to eat me,’ she screamed. 

‘Oh yeah I forgot this was croc country, come on time to get up. Time to have some breakfast,’ she chuckled. 

Lola pulled the camp chairs and table from the back of their Patrol and started to prepare their breakfast of bananas and muesli, Lola decided she’d grab some long life milk while in Townsville and grab some more supplies to last them on this beach. 

Chelsea seated herself heavily in her camp chair with a blanket wrapped around herself and groaned, ‘This is way too early to be awake.’

‘Well,’ Lola paused, ‘I was thinking of heading to Townsville for some supplies and to see David. Would you want to stay with camp so we don’t have to pack up again?’

Chelsea’s eyes widen and she stuttered, ‘You want…to split up?’

‘No, no, no Chelsea. I just want to see David again and we need some supplies to get us through the next few days.’ 

‘Oh, okay,’ Chelsea agreed as she took a bite of her banana. 

‘So you’ll be fine here by yourself yeah?’

‘Yeah by myself,’ Chelsea thought aloud, ‘I can be alone yeah. Maybe go for a swim in the ocean or go for another walk. Yeah I can be alone.’ 

‘Okay,’ Lola replied a little bit weirded out by how Chelsea was reacting but hell Chelsea wasn’t a normal girl. 

They finished their breakfast together and Lola gave Chelsea a spare phone she had picked up earlier. Lola told her that she would call if she was going to be later than a day but she expected to be back by later that afternoon. 

Chelsea stood in the line of trees and gave Lola a wave as she drove off back towards the exit of the beach. Chelsea was alone for the first time in god knows how long. She looked back to her swag and decided to make the bed inside of it. She then took her camp chair and sat it in the line of trees. With a bottle of water and a book on the east coast of Australia she sat down and enjoyed reading and watching the sun rise into the sky. 

She doesn’t know how much time passes but a sound draws her attention away from the book in her hands and she stops for a moment. Her head snaps up when she hears rustling in the trees beside her. 

‘Hello!, ‘she exclaims, ‘Is there anyone there?!’

Josh steps out of the tree line and glances at the campsite around him. ‘It’s just me Chelsea. Are you okay? I saw your car go past my campsite but only Lola was in it?’

Chelsea clutched her chest as she jumped out of her camp chair as she had feared it had been someone more sinister, ‘God Josh you scared the living daylights out of me! Lola has just gone to Townsville for the day for supplies and to see her son.’ 

Josh nods and decides instead of watching them from afar today; he can just keep Chelsea company for the day. ‘What are you plans for today?’ Josh asks. 

‘I’m not sure I’ve never spent a day at the beach ever before I think. My father hated the beach.’ 

Josh grabbed the empty camp chair by their table and placed it besides Chelsea and nodded for her to take a seat as well. ‘Well,’ says Josh, ‘How about we just relax and talk?’

Chelsea sits back in her chair and looks a Josh, ‘what you want my statement?’

‘No, no Chelsea. I don’t want that from you. You’ve been through a lot and maybe we could just talk about our lives instead of how we both ended up here,’ he laughed. 

‘Well you already know a lot about me detective. I mean you’ve been to my apartment and know things that even Nathan didn’t know about me.’ 

Josh looks over to Chelsea and nods slowly. He had to do what he had to do for his job, yeah he was curious about all the unopened lipsticks and how her mother had passed. But that was really none of his business now. 

‘Tell me about yourself detective,’ Chelsea says shyly. 

‘Well there is not much to know Chelsea. Born and raised in Sydney, I was in the army for a few years, military police officer. Then I branched out to the New South Wales Police force after leaving the army and I was a beat cop for about six years until I was promoted to detective. I had just joined the homicide unit when all this happened.’

‘But that’s like your professional life, what did you do for fun? How old are you? Does your family know that you are okay?’ Chelsea threw a slew of question back at him, wanting to know more about the man sitting across from her. 

‘How about we ask question for question? Yeah?’

‘Okay then, well let’s start with how old you are then?’

‘Well I’m 36 for the next couple of months; my birthday is the 30th of October. What do you do for fun Chelsea? Other than going on the run,’ he chuckled. 

‘Fun…hmm…I like to sing I guess and I use to go for hikes but it’s hard when living in the city and I didn’t have my own car to get me out of the city.’ 

‘You can sing?’ Josh says with surprise. 

‘I mean I guess I can, I use to sing when I was young in hope of becoming the next Delta Goodrem, my mum loved to hear me sing but then she died and my father discouraged me from singing and recommended I get a real job instead of day dreaming about being a singer. I always wondered how different my life would have been if I kept going.’ 

‘Can you sing something for me?’

Chelsea scoffed and looked at him; ‘Really?’ she questioned him. 

‘I’m mean yeah sure; I’d love to hear you sing.’ 

‘Umm okay…I haven’t sung for a long time. But I guess I could give it a go again.’

Josh watched her intently as she ready herself; she glanced back at him shyly through her eyelashes and her eyes slipped closed. And she began to sing. Josh sat in his chair   
stunned to silence. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMg1846C6QE (This is actually Chelsea’s actress singing, she is really amazing.)

Winter is always colder when you’re lonely  
And praying will not help you if your heart has turned to stone  
Though summer may be months away and all the joy seems swept away  
There is pleasure to be gained if you give up being alone 

So, fight your fears  
Befriend your foes  
We’ve all got so far to go

Ring out wild bells to the wild sky  
The flying cloud, the frosty light  
The year is dying in the night  
Ring out wild bells and let him die

Hope is a fragile little feather   
That floats upon the wind and is so hard to catch in darkness   
But though it may be dark outside, our hearts are burning our eyes are wide   
And we catch that hope and let it guide us 

So, fight your fears  
Befriend your foes  
We’ve all got so far to go

Ring out wild bells to the wild sky  
The flying cloud, the frosty light  
The year is dying in the night  
Ring out wild bells and let him die

So we reject what we don’t understand   
But we’ll find warmth if we open our hands   
Hunger takes hold and we scream at the gate wanting war   
Forgetting what we came here for   
So bring on the sunlight

Ring out wild bells to the wild sky  
The flying cloud, the frosty light  
The year is dying in the night  
Ring out wild bells and let him die

Chelsea opened her eyes looking straight out to the vast ocean in front of her. She had last sung for her mother on her death bed when her father had given them a moment alone together. She remembers the tears flowing from both of them. God, what she would give to see her one last time. To tell her how sorry she was and how much she missed her.   
She wrote the song the first New Year without her mother but had never sung it for anyone…ever. She glanced at Josh beside her but he was frozen in silence, she bent forward and placed her head in her hands. She wanted to cry right now but her chest felt lighter than it ever had been. She felt like she had release apart of herself that always weighed her down that wanted to drown her out. Her chest was so light and she felt so good. The tears fell into her hands then but they were tears of happiness, of relief.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own the song written here, but it is well worth the listen to and she has some other songs on her youtube that are amazing. I hope you guys are enjoying this!


End file.
